Spacecraft measurements reveal mechanism of solar wind heatingQueen Mary University of London has led a study which describes the first direct measurement of how energy is transferred from the chaotic electromagnetic fields in space to the particles that make up the solar wind, leading to the heating of interplanetary space.

Diet could help runners beat stomach issuesResearch indicates that cutting out specific foods can alleviate the gastrointestinal issues some people experience when they exercise, with over two-thirds of people involved in a new study reporting an improvement.

Spintronics by 'straintronics'Data storage in magnetic media is very energy consuming. Novel materials could reduce the energy needed to control magnetic memories thus contributing to a smaller carbon footprint of the IT sector.

Cracking colibactin's codeIn an effort to understand how colibactin, a compound produced by certain strains of E. coli, may be connected to the development of colorectal cancer, Harvard researchers are exploring how the compound damages DNA to produce DNA adducts.

Genetic tricks of rabbits resistant to fatal viral diseaseUnderlying genetic variation in the immune systems of rabbits allowed them to rapidly evolve genetic resistance to the myxoma virus, a deadly rabbit pathogen introduced into Europe and Australia during the 1950s, according to a new study.

Sea worms and jellyfish treat cancer and kill insectsScientists of the Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (PIBOC) of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FEB RAS) and the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) found out marine invertebrates living in Troitsa Bay, the Sea of Japan, contain biologically active compounds with strong antitumor and antimicrobial properties, and also capable of killing insects.

Get fit for a fit gutResearch published in Experimental Physiology has suggested that the efficiency with which we transport oxygen to our tissues (cardiorespiratory fitness) is a far greater predictor of gut microbiota diversity than either body fat percentage or general physical activity.

Social threat learning influences our decisionsLearning what is dangerous by watching a video or being told (known as social learning) has just as strong an effect on our decision-making as first-hand experience of danger, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report.

Philosophy: What exactly is a black hole?What is a black hole? In an article that has just appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich philosopher Erik Curiel shows that physicists use different definitions of the concept, depending on their own particular fields of interest.

Carbonaceous chondrites provide clues about the delivery of water to EarthAn international study led by researchers from the Institute of Space Sciences, from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya has discovered that carbonaceous chondrites, a class of meteorites, incorporated hydrated minerals along with organic material from the protoplanetary disk before the formation of planets.

The ways of wisdom in schizophreniaResearchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine report that persons with schizophrenia scored lower on a wisdom assessment than non-psychiatric comparison participants, but that there was considerable variability in levels of wisdom, and those with higher scores displayed fewer psychotic symptoms.

Blockchain can strengthen the credibility of meta-analysesBlockchain -- the technology behind the secure transactions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin -- can make it easier for researchers to conduct transparent meta-analyses in social science research where reproducibility is a growing concern.

Most triggers for irregular heartbeat can be easily modifiedA personal survey of patients with atrial fibrillatio, one of the most important causes of irregular heartbeats, has found that the majority of triggers for the condition are easily modifiable lifestyle choices, including alcohol, caffeine, exercise and lack of sleep.

Gravitational waves will settle cosmic conundrumMeasurements of gravitational waves from approximately 50 binary neutron stars over the next decade will definitively resolve an intense debate about how quickly our universe is expanding, according to findings from an international team that includes University College London (UCL) and Flatiron Institute cosmologists.

Statins could protect against motor neurone diseaseHigh cholesterol has been found to be a possible risk factor for the development of motor neurone disease (MND), according to a large study of genetic data led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health in the USA.

Immunological scarring from coeliac diseaseImmune cells in the bowel of people who suffer with coeliac disease are permanently replaced by a new subset of cells that promote inflammation, suggests a new study involving researchers at Cardiff University.

Hop to it: Researchers evaluate rabbits' evolved resistance to myxoma virusPartnering with the University of Cambridge and several other research institutes, Biodesign researchers, as part of Grant McFadden's Center of for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, validated the role of specific rabbit genes in contributing to this acquired resistance in research published in Science Magazine.

To tool or not to tool?Flexible tool use is closely associated to higher mental processes such as the ability to plan actions.

Improved RNA data visualization method gets to the bigger picture fasterLike going from a pinhole camera to a Polaroid, a significant mathematical update to the formula for a popular bioinformatics data visualization method will allow researchers to develop snapshots of single-cell gene expression not only several times faster but also at much higher-resolution.

Study suggests lazy eye associated with children's sense of self-perceptionThis observational study looked at whether the condition known as 'lazy eye' (amblyopia) was associated with an altered sense of self-perception in children (ages 3 to 7) and whether any differences in self-perception were associated with deficiencies in vision and fine motor skills like coordination.

#517 Life in Plastic, Not FantasticOur modern lives run on plastic. It's in the computers and phones we use. It's in our clothing, it wraps our food. It surrounds us every day, and when we throw it out, it's devastating for the environment. This week we air a live show we recorded at the 2019 Advancement of Science meeting in Washington, D.C., where Bethany Brookshire sat down with three plastics researchers - Christina Simkanin, Chelsea Rochman, and Jennifer Provencher - and a live audience to discuss plastics in our oceans. Where they are, where they are going, and what they carry with them. Related links:...